Mangaluru: BJP Condemns Assault on Farmers at Belthangady

Mangaluru: District BJP President, Pratap Simha Nayak held a press meet at the party office, Kodialbail here on July 2.

Addressing the mediapersons, Pratap Simha Nayak said that sessions have resumed in the Assembly and the Parliament. “The main issue during the sessions is about the farmers committing suicide and how to prevent it. At the same time at Arasinamakki, Beltangady Taluk, farmers have been assaulted by the police, the revenue department and politically influenced people. A 70 year old woman, who is the mother of the farmers, was also assaulted. This is a heinous crime and the BJP strongly condemns it.”

Further the victim Keshav Rao said, “I belong to a farmers family and since 1958 my father, S Krishna Rao, has been involved in farming. In Hartyadka under survey number 127/1, we have 5.6 acres of Patta land which we have cultivated through Mulageni. According to the 1974 Land Act, we have applied for ownership of the said land. In 1981, we were granted ownership for the land. Since then, we have been growing arecanut, coconut and rice paddy. We have even grown rubber arecanut and grass in the Kumki land. According to the law, in 1992, my father Krishna Rao, mother S Lakshmi and myself, we had applied for land rights of the Kumki land under the Akrama Sakram Act (form no 50). In 1998, S Shivaprasad Rao, Satish Rao and myself had applied again for the same land. The papers are ready but the Tahsildar said that the Assistant Commissioner had questioned about the excess land. In this regard, an application was submitted to the Assistant Commissioner and it is under investigation.”

He further said that in 1999-2000, the Panchayat decided to build a crematorium in the said land not being aware of the dispute. “In 2001 the mutation of the land was also done without out knowledge. In 2007, when the revenue department was measuring the land, we came to know that a crematorium would be built in the land. When we applied for clarification through RTI, the Assistant Commissioner said that the documents are in the high court. We have also advised the Revenue Department to build the crematorium on the opposite side of the road.”

“I have even complained about the mismanagement of Arasinamakki Gram Panchayat to the Lokayukta. Due to political rivalry and in order to defame me, the Arasinamakki Gram Panchayat administration came decided to build a crematorium in the Akrama Sakrama land. I had even objected several times when they came to measure the land. On June 29 at 11 am, without any notice they brought a JCB excavator and started work on the land. They also cut nearly 50 trees. When we tried to stop them, the police dragged us and took us to the police station with handcuffs, they assaulted me and my brother. Even my 70-year-old mother was manhandled when she came to rescue us. The police also filed a case under IPC section 333 against us.

How can we live in such a situation? Is it wrong to be born in a farmer’s family? Where is justice for the farmers?” he questioned.